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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - Breath of the wild runs better on portable mode (digital foundry)

S.T.A.G.E. on 04 March 2017
VGPolyglot said:
It's all part of Nintendo's marketing tactics! They're trying to force people to use it as a portable so that they might bring it on the go with them, so others will see it and want to buy it!

Or the console is forced to chug at 900p and can get a smoother framerate at 720. Plus, the handheld screen is beautiful.



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KLAMarine on 04 March 2017
twintail said:
KLAMarine said:

Dunno. Haven't counted.

I did do some admittedly brief and not-very-thorough research into this matter and noticed that Shadow of the Colossus, despite its framerate issues on the ps2

To be fair, Digital Foundry started after SotC has released so that connection doesnt quite mean anything.

My point is the press has a history of ignoring technical aspects of a game. Ocarina of Time, if I recall correctly, ran at around 16 frames per second but I'm willing to bet there were reviews of the game that did not mention this at all or even if they did, looked past it.

With more recent releases, a game like Witcher 3 at times had technical issues or other flaws mentioned but the publication still handed out a perfect score:

"It’s not all perfect though. In fact there’s an awful lot wrong with the game, but most of it is incidental in comparison to that which is so right."

10/10

http://gaming.thedigitalfix.com/content/id/3017/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt.html

"This attention to detail and maxing out the system’s capabilities are why infrequent technical issues are not a problem."

5/5

http://www.darkstation.com/reviews/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/

"On the PlayStation 4, The Witcher 3 runs at 30 frames-per-second, and while the framerate does drop from time to time when there’s a lot going on, this becomes less and less noticeable as time goes on, and this is a statement is coming from a bona fide framerate elitist. The Witcher 3 is such an incredibly immersive experience that its technical issues and open-world jank feel less important than they would in a game of lesser quality."

5/5

http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2015/05/23/review-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/150140/

 

 

It seems to me a 10/10 game should not be interpreted as a perfect game, just a game that cannot be recommended enough?

twintail said:

And SotC was pushing the PS2 hardware with tech that didnt really seem likely on the PS2. BotW is just a ported WiiU game. It shouldnt actually have any problems tbqh

From what I understand, handheld BotW has no framerate issues. Maybe reviewers were impressed by how such a tiny device trying to also be able to transition to a console experience was able to pull off a solid framerate running off of a tiny battery?



VGPolyglot on 04 March 2017
KLAMarine said:
twintail said:

To be fair, Digital Foundry started after SotC has released so that connection doesnt quite mean anything.

My point is the press has a history of ignoring technical aspects of a game. Ocarina of Time, if I recall correctly, ran at around 16 frames per second but I'm willing to bet there were reviews of the game that did not mention this at all or even if they did, looked past it.

With more recent releases, a game like Witcher 3 at times had technical issues or other flaws mentioned but the publication still handed out a perfect store:

"It’s not all perfect though. In fact there’s an awful lot wrong with the game, but most of it is incidental in comparison to that which is so right."

10/10

http://gaming.thedigitalfix.com/content/id/3017/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt.html

"This attention to detail and maxing out the system’s capabilities are why infrequent technical issues are not a problem."

5/5

http://www.darkstation.com/reviews/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/

"On the PlayStation 4, The Witcher 3 runs at 30 frames-per-second, and while the framerate does drop from time to time when there’s a lot going on, this becomes less and less noticeable as time goes on, and this is a statement is coming from a bona fide framerate elitist. The Witcher 3 is such an incredibly immersive experience that its technical issues and open-world jank feel less important than they would in a game of lesser quality."

5/5

http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2015/05/23/review-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/150140/

 

 

It seems to me a 10/10 game should not be interpreted as a perfect game, just a game that cannot be recommended enough?

twintail said:

And SotC was pushing the PS2 hardware with tech that didnt really seem likely on the PS2. BotW is just a ported WiiU game. It shouldnt actually have any problems tbqh

From what I understand, handheld BotW has no framerate issues. Maybe reviewers were impressed by how such a tiny device trying to also be able to transition to a console experience was able to pull off a solid framerate running off of a tiny battery?

OoT had a framerate of 20FPS in NA and Japan. It was in the PAL regions where the framerate was like 17FPS.



KLAMarine on 04 March 2017
VGPolyglot said:
KLAMarine said:

My point is the press has a history of ignoring technical aspects of a game. Ocarina of Time, if I recall correctly, ran at around 16 frames per second but I'm willing to bet there were reviews of the game that did not mention this at all or even if they did, looked past it.

With more recent releases, a game like Witcher 3 at times had technical issues or other flaws mentioned but the publication still handed out a perfect store:

"It’s not all perfect though. In fact there’s an awful lot wrong with the game, but most of it is incidental in comparison to that which is so right."

10/10

http://gaming.thedigitalfix.com/content/id/3017/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt.html

"This attention to detail and maxing out the system’s capabilities are why infrequent technical issues are not a problem."

5/5

http://www.darkstation.com/reviews/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/

"On the PlayStation 4, The Witcher 3 runs at 30 frames-per-second, and while the framerate does drop from time to time when there’s a lot going on, this becomes less and less noticeable as time goes on, and this is a statement is coming from a bona fide framerate elitist. The Witcher 3 is such an incredibly immersive experience that its technical issues and open-world jank feel less important than they would in a game of lesser quality."

5/5

http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2015/05/23/review-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/150140/

 

 

It seems to me a 10/10 game should not be interpreted as a perfect game, just a game that cannot be recommended enough?

From what I understand, handheld BotW has no framerate issues. Maybe reviewers were impressed by how such a tiny device trying to also be able to transition to a console experience was able to pull off a solid framerate running off of a tiny battery?

OoT had a framerate of 20FPS in NA and Japan. It was in the PAL regions where the framerate was like 17FPS.

I'm trying to find a source on the internet on this matter but can't (feeling sorta lazy right now lol)... I'll have to take your word for it. Thanks!



KLAMarine on 04 March 2017
thismeintiel said:
xl-klaudkil said:

If horizon would have such framerate drops every review would score the game lower.

Measuring with  a double standard, really showcasing the biased factor when reviewing games.

Same goes with graphics if a game gets a 10 i expect state of the art current year graphics

A 10/10 means the game is top notch in every way zelda clearly is not.

Personally, I think many reviewers avoid giving Nintendo games anything less than an 9 because they know they will be hounded by the diehard fans.  Especially at launch when they know Nintendo NEEDS the Switch to be a success, fans are going to be out en masse trying to combat any negativity.  And while I don't really agree that graphical prowess neccessarily has to downgrade a game (it really should be based on the HW), frequent/random framerate drops and lag should 100% be something you dock a point or two for.  They aren't going to do it, though.

Or maybe the reviewers know there are people out there who will rage that a game they haven't played but dislike anyways is getting a very high score and seeing these people, people who place some arbitrary number so high up on their first-world-problems priorities list, rage gets them off?



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monocle_layton on 04 March 2017
xl-klaudkil said:

If horizon would have such framerate drops every review would score the game lower.

Measuring with  a double standard, really showcasing the biased factor when reviewing games.

Same goes with graphics if a game gets a 10 i expect state of the art current year graphics

A 10/10 means the game is top notch in every way zelda clearly is not.

If you dislike the game, don't play it. Reviewers thought they loved Zelda. So what? Doesn't mean HZD's 90 suddenly makes it a bad game. 

 

You people clearly get triggered over people's opinions. Just because someone loves/hates a game, doesn't mean you need to as well. 



mutantsushi on 04 March 2017
thismeintiel said:
ICStats said:
How are you all finding the size of the screen? I played some Zelda on a colleague's Switch today and it feels really small in portable mode.

I think that has to do with how mobile gaming has changed.  While the screen is large compared to past HHs, with so many people getting used to 7"-10" tablets, anything smaller seems like it should be a phone.  Which really makes me think, how much money could Nintendo have saved if they went with a more standard 7" screen?  They are widely available and probably much cheaper since they are the standard size.  Even if they added Gorrila Glass, I have to think it would at least come out in a wash.

Issue is that larger tablet screens like that will also have larger resolutions - which require heftier GPU/battery requirement, or upscaling.
I don't think the screen size or resolution are bad choices per se, besides Gorilla Glass, heftier GPU & memory B/W would be my priority.

The problem IMHO is more so that Nintendo is using exact same presentation on both docked TV mode and portable mode,
rather than tailoring a game experience for each specifically, you basically get a TV format game presentation on 7" screen.
This has to do with camera angles/zoom, HUD and other overlay elements and stuff like how thick an object border hilight is used.
And this gets to Nintendo's economic rationale here, i.e. develop once instead of separate home console and mobile games.
So I suspect if any devs were trying to push for mobile-specific interface, they would have been ignored as being against the plan.



mutantsushi on 04 March 2017
ICStats said:

Playing a game with complex camera controls doesn't feel ... good on the Switch's cramped, not ergo form factor with small analog sticks.

For me I think it would have to be with the Pro controller, or with the Joy-Cons in detached Wii-Mote/Nunchuk form factor.
The latter is a lot more comfortable than attached to the Switch, but still not as comfortable as the Wii controls.

I felt from day 1 the Switch's ergo layout would be problematic and uncomfortable.
Really seems un-necessary to me, no reason positioning and grip geometry couldn't have matched Xbox/PS4.
...Actually, that seems like a great potential accessory market, "pro controls" that slide onto tablet itself.
Could even have a deeper/thicker grip which extends inwards i.e. overlaps the back of the tablet itself.
Would no longer be able to dock it with controllers attached, but there isn't any functional reason to do that.



benji232 on 04 March 2017

Having played 3 hours so far in docked mode, the framerate issue is real and pretty bad actually... It's especially bad when it starts lagging in a boss battle... Also, completely off topic, but no music in the main menu Nintendo? Really?

The game is great but it does feel a bit rushed from a technical standpoint.



Predictions for LT console sales:

PS4: 120M

XB1: 70M

WiiU: 14M

3DS: 60M

Vita: 13M

sc94597 on 07 March 2017
benji232 said:
Having played 3 hours so far in docked mode, the framerate issue is real and pretty bad actually... It's especially bad when it starts lagging in a boss battle... Also, completely off topic, but no music in the main menu Nintendo? Really?

The game is great but it does feel a bit rushed from a technical standpoint.

The framrate on the Switch version settles after you leave the plateau actually. It becomes a problem in certain villages when weather is being a little bit disatrous, and in certain high density areas, but otherwise it stays mostly 30fps when traversing the world.